Fun February SUPER Start: Hearts, Flags + 100 Days!

FEBRUARY! Oh how we LUV LUV LUV on February! 
Today is the beginning of all things SUPER! 
SUPER Bowl Sunday indeed!

I've gathered up some happy hearts as inspiration for your Valentine's Extravaganza! Can you really have enough hearts and LUV in your life? Get out the red and pink construction paper out, gather your glitter (or not) and let your HEART go WILD! 

That first heart up above is VERY meaningful to me. I sat at the elbow of my Little Red, WonderPeep {grand-daughter} as she painted that masterpiece on a SMALL stretched canvas for MY mom, obviously her great grandma! 

My parents (and hubby) last week for mom's EIGHTIETH birthday

I was just visiting my parents for my mom's 80th birthday last week and guess where that precious canvas resides? You guessed it! In THE place of honor amid the family heirlooms and treasures. It is probably about 5 inches wide, maybe only four, and it is precious beyond measure. 

AND PERMANENT! 

These keepsakes that you create with the children in your life are held near and dear by their loved ones, for ages to come! 

Take a look next at this amazing 'heart-quilt' that I had the good fortune to see at the Preschool of our Denver-Darling. Simple. Painted hand-prints and then a 'capture' of their insight into kindness transcribed on the heart. It is the stunning simplicity of the over all design that is breath-taking. [If you want to read what the kiddos have to say, click the pic to be transported over to my personal blog: Precious alert.] 

The "Kindness Quilt" above was created at the year's beginning, for an amazing 'back-to-school' display and for setting the tone for the new school year. This same idea would make an AMAZING classroom collaboration in honor of Valentine's Day! 

There is absolutely 'no-shelf-life' on teaching kindness to our littles. Take every occasion possible to talk about the basics: being nice to others, sharing, taking turns. Establishing a sense of community comes first, but building on the basics never runs out of style. 

Now hold on to your hat! I want to show you how I spent Valentine's Day in 2014. I had the great good fortune to be invited to a FL private school, for an author's visit ON VALENTINE'S DAY! 

Are you ready to take a peek at the incredible backdrop that greeted me? This was the stage setting. SO BIG there was no way that my camera could capture all of the premeditated shower of LOVE in one shot! 

Kindergarten Water Color Hearts for Valentine's Day Author Visit 

This is way less than half of the backdrop of LOVE! 

Here I am warming up the Preschool crowd with some follow directions, "Simon Says" type activity. Follow the leader NEVER gets old and it literally doesn't have to cost you two cents. Preparing to get started may be my favorite part of the presentation. All eyes wide open! Everyone's excited! Get 'em movin'!!! BEGIN!

Here are some additional "oldies-but-goodies." 

Here are some 'new' Valentine's Bulletin Boards on display at faith-based preschools I have visited.

Here's the PERFECT project for February. 
Combine the Valentine's Day Hearts and patriotic President's Day colors. 



I have a couple of 'new' articles in this past month over at my blog that I know you will appreciate. 

This first one gathers up nine different ways that teachers have their class 'sign-in' for the day! 
Some examples are from Preschool and a couple from Kindergarten. 

I saw these Kinder SPRAY PAINTED Nature Projects out in CA at the PK1 Conference. 

You simply MUST go see how they were created. 

I have the teacher's experience on record now. 

Be certain to read her 'comment' below the article itself! 

As usual, I will continue to add 'more' to this article over the course of the next day or so. Check back later for inspiration for President's Day! 

Happy Holidays Pre-K & K Style!

Happy holidays... happy holidays... let the merry bells keep ringing... happy holidays to you!  

Probably one of my favorite holiday songs!  Can't read it without singing!

Anyways... it's Jennifer with Simply Kinder!  Excited to be back in a flash and share some great holiday resources and ideas with you that will work great in your preschool and kindergarten classrooms!  

First is my most favorite... my parent gift!  I love making these scented ornaments and they are smell for years and years!  

Here's how to make them:

1.  Mix 3/4 cup apple sauce (plus a dash more) and 1 cup cinnamon with about two tablespoons of  glue.  I would suggest buying 2 of the tall Cinnamon's and 2 of the large jars of apple sauce.  That should get a classroom of about 30 very easily. 

2.  Knead the dough.  It's important that there is NO creases or folds in the dough.  You definitely have to work it.  In the picture to the right I would probably want to get those folds at the bottom worked out otherwise he may crack.  

3.  Roll it out onto wax paper. 

4. Then stamp with a gingerbread cookie cutter.  Poke a hole with a toothpick for the string.

5.  And lastly place to dry. They will have to dry for several days.  Turn them over every half day or so.  I would also suggest prewriting your students names on the wax paper so you know whose is whose!

6.  Decorate with students' faces, hot glue works best.  Ribbon hot glued through the ornament's hole, a sequence, and anything you want to add!  Make adorable holiday gifts that will smell delicious for years!  I like to use items I have in my classroom each year and so this year it was silvery sequence and red ribbons!

We will wrap them by putting them in brown paper bags with just regular old paper towels to keep them protected.  We will write on the backs of old Christmas cards I collected from last year, staple them together and they are ready to go!  (The trick is to ask for them now so no one throws them away before they return from break... and save them for next year!  The kids also love using these cards in the writing lab!)  To read more about my Christmas Card centers that kids will love click here!  Your students will love my fun and easy center!

We have always done these fun gingerbread houses and then the big push for rigor came around and "no more fun" seems to be the philosophy.  Well... don't tell me I can't do something!  So, in this fun activity students will create a graph using addition, subtraction, or counting and then use that graph to build their house!  {Stop by to see more pictures and read what's included!}

This is my most favorite addition to the holiday time of year!  I noticed on a trip that my own son could not sing Christmas carols on a family trip to the North Pole!  Saddened my hear to realize a lot of the kids on the bus weren't singing!  So... what does a rigor teacher do?  That's right.. we are using them for fluency and close reading!  We started these last week and let me tell you... I have never seen my kids so excited to read all year!  They are especially great for the more advanced kids!  Also, interactive as the kids can select the image to glue onto their carol!  You are sure to love these!

Check out this fun bulletin board we made!  Of course the faces are my own little magic elves for privacy issues!  These we so fun to make and are going to make great keepsakes for the families!  If only you could see their actual little bright shining faces behind!  Click the image for other elf antics in kindergarten (it has a freebie so be sure to do so!)

That's the holiday fun we have had so far!  Be sure to stop by and visit!  Tell me you found me from Pre K and K Sharing!

8 Parenting Tips for Happier Holidays with Young Children

It's time once again to begin preparing for the holidays and gearing up for family, fun, and festivals. The kids will be getting excited and home for school vacation. Here are eight tips for ensuring a happier holiday season.

TIP # 1: Good Behavior in Someone Else's Home

At some point prior to arriving at someone else's home for a holiday party, get to your child's eye level and go over the rules for being at the party. You may even ask them to explain the rules to you and don't be surprised if they already know. Throughout the event, acknowledge them every time you witness the behavior you want. If their behavior has been a problem in the past, tell them there will be a consequence to bad behavior and that consequence will be leaving the party. If you choose this option, be ready to implement it immediately, and don't punish them. The punishment is the departure itself and your complete silence on the drive home.

TIP # 2: Reduce the Toys and Gifts

A few weeks before the holiday season arrives, allow your child to lead an activity to thin out the usable toys and clothes they already have and then donate them to a local charity. Let your child have as much participation in the process, especially the delivery to the donation center. Commit to buying your children less toys. Too many can create visual chaos and excess stimulation, and certainly do not teach crucial lessons of moderation and limits.

TIP # 3: Take Care of Yourself

When you become stressed over the holidays, your appearance of being frantic and frazzled will be felt by the children and they too will begin to simulate it in their own way. Take time out for yourself to recharge your batteries. You need extra rest, exercise, and healthy eating, ingredients for greater self-control and patience.

TIP # 4: Teach Children Gratitude

Make it a priority to get your family involved in a giving exercise this holiday season. Donate your time to volunteer for a charitable organization by wrapping gifts for a gift collection agency, delivering a meal to a shut-in, or serving the hungry at a soup kitchen.   This act of compassion will remain with your children for a very long time. During the thanksgiving holiday, my family and I would prepare and deliver a meal to an elderly person living alone. I'll never forget the year we delivered our dinner to an elderly lady who was so grateful for our gift, she cried as we left. My son was silent as we drove away and he had tears welling in his eyes.

TIP # 5: Don't Over Schedule

During the holidays we automatically think about wanting to connect and be with family and friends. But if past holidays have not been fond memories because of over scheduling, reconsider your plans for this year and commit to simplifying the family calendar or take a vacation away from home. This move may require having to say no to some invitations or changing routines. One family we connect with often makes it a point to avoid the holiday rush. They plan plenty of get-togethers throughout the year and then disappear at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas to take cruises, go to Disney, or travel to see family out of state.

TIP # 6: Set Realistic Expectations for the Kids

Let's face it; December can be a stressful month for the kids and stressful or busy times for you. This guarantees that your children are going to behave differently and it will be a challenge getting them to cooperate and remain calm. Clarify your boundaries and rules and be patient when their excitement gets in the way. Remind yourself about the true meaning of the holidays; it's not about having the perfect family. A big mistake parents make is remembering the holidays from their childhood and trying to recreate them today.

TIP # 7: Create the Reverence of New Traditions

Participating in family traditions that were passed down can be fun and exciting, but it can also add to the stress of the holidays when it means having to recreate complex meals, trips, and events that originally belonged to someone else. Take bold steps to create new traditions for your immediate family that will leave lasting impressions, regardless of how simple they might be. When my children were young, we started a new tradition of allowing the kids to open one gift on Christmas Eve. We intentionally gave them new pajamas in this one special gift and they would be the pajamas they would wear to bed that night. Each year after that, I came up with fun and creative ways of disguising the gift to keep them guessing, because they knew what they would find in the packages. Creating new and fun traditions and faithfully celebrating them each year with consistency will teach your children how to do it themselves when they have families of their own.

TIP # 8: Be the Person You Want Your Children to Be

Finally, there is no better way to teach your children how to enjoy the holidays than to demonstrate being the person you want them to be. The most powerful training your children will ever have is the observations they make of your behavior on a daily basis. Work hard to remain calm and loving throughout the holidays. When you find yourself on the threshold of an emotional reaction to someone else's behavior, ask yourself if what you're about to say or do will bring your family closer together, or create more distance. Being close of course, is what the holidays are all about!

Get more help for discipline for small children at http://www.StopTheTantrums.com

Bill Corbett is the author of the award-winning parenting book series, LOVE, LIMITS, & LESSONS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING COOPERATIVE KIDS (in English and in Spanish) and the executive producer and host of the public access television show CREATING COOPERATIVE KIDS (http://www.CooperativeKids.com). As a member of the American Psychological Association and the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology, Bill provides parent coaching and keynote presentations to parent and professional audiences across the country. He sits on the board of the Network Against Domestic Abuse, the Resource Advisory Committee for Attachment Parenting International, and the management team of the Springfield Parent Academy. Bill's practical experience comes as a father of 3 grown children, a grandfather of two, and a stepdad to three.  You can learn more about his work at http://www.BillCorbett.com and http://www.StopTheTantrums.com.